"Alright. It seems impossible for me to sit idle and let things flow as it is. So you want me to convince Mu Ran to return Qing Ya's Celestial Blessing? I'll do my best. But how does that help my martial brother? The foreign soul inside him, whoever this so-called prince is, has been harming him with unknown motives. Returning Qing Ya's blessing doesn't seem like something it would appreciate. What if that soul further harms my martial brother?"
"A valid concern," Lady Caizhi replied. "But let me ask you, do you think Mu Ran will agree to return the blessing?"
Han Xuhan contemplated for a few seconds and shook his head.
"I think your master has already tried it. Proving one's affection by sacrificing a treasure like that isn't something any adult cultivator would fall for. She had to have challenged the young Mu Ran after realizing what he was doing to Qing Ya. If that didn't change his mind, nothing I say will either."
Lady Caizhi laughed appreciatively.
"Then I'm sure you can take a guess at why I asked you to still try it."
Han Xuhan stared back at her for a long ten seconds before his eyes narrowed.
"You want the Blessing-robbing method, don't you? If Mu Ran refuses to return the blessing, it gives you a chance to demand the technique with the excuse that Qing Ya can rob someone else's Celestial Blessing using it."
"...You're fast. I like it!"
"And you've orchestrated this entire meeting so that you can convince ME to make that request, because, firstly, Mu Ran wouldn't give a fuck if you demanded it."
Lady Caizhi's laugh faded a bit, but Han Xuhan continued.
"And secondly, I just also happen to have a crippling 'blessing' that I'd either love to get rid of, or improve by taking another person's blessing. As Mu Ran's martial brother, my motivation and influence would be unquestionable. Mu Ran would never suspect that I'm actually working for you when I ask him for the Blessing-robbing method for my personal use."
"...A tad too fast, but that's the gist of it, sure."
Lady Caizhi's smile now contained less mirth and more discomfort. She didn't seem to like how fast her motive had been pointed out.
"So are you willing to do it? It's a win-win for all three of you. We can help you use the method to change your physique, we can help Qing Ya finally attain a new blessing, and I'm sure you understand how grateful Qing Ya would be to him if that happens. She still has some affection for that brat. If he really asks for a marriage at that time, she'll probably agree."
Han Xuhan threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
What an insidious trap! Impressive, very impressive!
He didn't believe a single word she had said, with good reasons for that. But for now, pretending to trust her would be more...beneficial.
"Alright, I agree," he said with a shark-like smile, making Lady Caizhi let out a relieved sigh. Just as her guard went down, he added something else.
"On one condition."
Alerted by the predatory look in his eyes, Lady Caizhi seemed to contemplate the deal for a while before she agreed.
"Depends on how reasonable your condition is. State your term."
"I need that Body-possession technique that you offered me five minutes ago, along with the memory sequence of a person who has used it so that I can fully understand its essence."
Han Xuhan walked out from the Captain's quarters ten minutes later with unsteady steps, eyes dazed. Qing Ya, who had been waiting right outside, seemed to have expected a similar outcome.
"Did she show you the memories?" She said in a cold voice.
"Oh yeah, she did. I must say, sister-in-law, you looked very cute as a child."
Qing Ya had taken her goggles off at some point during the wait. Han Xuhan saw a flash of anger crossing her gaze at his words.
"But your martial brother sure wasn't swayed by cuteness. He still went through with his ambitious plan, didn't he?"
"Hey, maybe he just wanted to be a better husband, a more powerful protection provider for you," Xuhan stoked the fire with unsuppressed glee in his tone.
"...." Qing Ya seemed to notice that. Eyes narrowing, she couldn't help but say, "Why do you look so happy about this whole thing?"
Han Xuhan tucked his chin up and laughed superciliously.
"Sister-in-law, let me offer you a piece of advice. Where lovers quarrel, there's always room for profit!"
Leaving a flabbergasted Qing Ya behind, Han Xuhan staggered his way through the central hallway of the ship.
Outside on the deck, Lady Luo Yi was being served with trays of delicacies by one of the members of the invasion team. Seeing him returning, she quickly pulled the tray towards herself, clearly unwilling to share.
"They have better food inside," Han Xuhan told her out of spite. "I ate something so stimulating in the Captain's cabin that my head's still spinning. Too powerful!"
Casting a disdainful look at her tray, he crashed on his seat and waited for the arrival of the messenger who had left for Abyss Guild's island.
They didn't have to wait very long. Soon, a disciple popped out from a corner of the island below and flew straight up toward the boat using the same technique Qing Ya had displayed an hour ago.
"I'm back! Guildmaster permitted it. I have the memory sequence stored in here."
He handed Qing Ya a box. Luo Yi and Han Xuhan watched curiously as the box was opened, revealing two vials full of yellow liquid inside.
"Converted information!" Luo Yi gasped audibly.
"...What?" Han Xuhan enquired.
"The memory sequence is nothing but a set of information to be transferred. And humans are capable of receiving information in countless ways. Powerful cultivators at Guildmaster's level can convert any set of information into their preferred state, mix them with other miscellaneous information to hide the content, and even use retrieval methods to recreate the same information from the mix. The yellow liquid in the vial is probably capable of creating hallucinations in the consumer's mind. The Guildmaster has mixed the information of the memory sequence inside the possible array of hallucinations this liquid can induce!"
"....What?" Han Xuhan repeated the same question even after hearing her explanation. Because it was too wild to accept.
His dumbfounded face earned him looks of disdain usually reserved for country bumpkins. But being too used to such looks, he asserted his view without hesitation.
"How can a hallucination show us something if our brain is incapable of forming the images? I have never seen or heard anything related to this tracing technique. You're telling me that snorting a hallucinogenic drink can make my brain create completely foreign scenarios just because someone added the memory sequence to the drink in the form of information?"
"Yes." Luo Yi replied, seemingly enjoying his struggle to come to terms with this revelation.
"Now come here. Enjoy the taste and receive our Guildmaster's creation!"
"Wait, wait, give me a second," Han Xuhan snatched his arm away from her loose grip.
"I'm still too inebriated due to the feast I had inside the Captain's cabin. I can't join you in drinking that to evaluate the legitimacy of the tracing technique. My head's still spinning."
"Wait, did you really eat something that good in there? I thought you were just being jealous-"
Luo Yi was cut off by the red skeleton that leaped out of Xuhan's back, landing on the deck cautiously.
"My minion can do this job just fine," Han Xuhan said, leaning back into his seat like a king.
"...."
Silence greeted his declaration. Everyone took some time to get used to the odd being standing in front of them. Luo Yi recovered before the rest, of course. She said,
"But how does a skeleton drink?"
"Alright. It seems impossible for me to sit idle and let things flow as it is. So you want me to convince Mu Ran to return Qing Ya's Celestial Blessing? I'll do my best. But how does that help my martial brother? The foreign soul inside him, whoever this so-called prince is, has been harming him with unknown motives. Returning Qing Ya's blessing doesn't seem like something it would appreciate. What if that soul further harms my martial brother?"
"A valid concern," Lady Caizhi replied. "But let me ask you, do you think Mu Ran will agree to return the blessing?"
Han Xuhan contemplated for a few seconds and shook his head.
"I think your master has already tried it. Proving one's affection by sacrificing a treasure like that isn't something any adult cultivator would fall for. She had to have challenged the young Mu Ran after realizing what he was doing to Qing Ya. If that didn't change his mind, nothing I say will either."
Lady Caizhi laughed appreciatively.
"Then I'm sure you can take a guess at why I asked you to still try it."
Han Xuhan stared back at her for a long ten seconds before his eyes narrowed.
"You want the Blessing-robbing method, don't you? If Mu Ran refuses to return the blessing, it gives you a chance to demand the technique with the excuse that Qing Ya can rob someone else's Celestial Blessing using it."
"...You're fast. I like it!"
"And you've orchestrated this entire meeting so that you can convince ME to make that request, because, firstly, Mu Ran wouldn't give a fuck if you demanded it."
Lady Caizhi's laugh faded a bit, but Han Xuhan continued.
"And secondly, I just also happen to have a crippling 'blessing' that I'd either love to get rid of, or improve by taking another person's blessing. As Mu Ran's martial brother, my motivation and influence would be unquestionable. Mu Ran would never suspect that I'm actually working for you when I ask him for the Blessing-robbing method for my personal use."
"...A tad too fast, but that's the gist of it, sure."
Lady Caizhi's smile now contained less mirth and more discomfort. She didn't seem to like how fast her motive had been pointed out.
"So are you willing to do it? It's a win-win for all three of you. We can help you use the method to change your physique, we can help Qing Ya finally attain a new blessing, and I'm sure you understand how grateful Qing Ya would be to him if that happens. She still has some affection for that brat. If he really asks for a marriage at that time, she'll probably agree."
Han Xuhan threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
What an insidious trap! Impressive, very impressive!
He didn't believe a single word she had said, with good reasons for that. But for now, pretending to trust her would be more...beneficial.
"Alright, I agree," he said with a shark-like smile, making Lady Caizhi let out a relieved sigh. Just as her guard went down, he added something else.
"On one condition."
Alerted by the predatory look in his eyes, Lady Caizhi seemed to contemplate the deal for a while before she agreed.
"Depends on how reasonable your condition is. State your term."
"I need that Body-possession technique that you offered me five minutes ago, along with the memory sequence of a person who has used it so that I can fully understand its essence."
Han Xuhan walked out from the Captain's quarters ten minutes later with unsteady steps, eyes dazed. Qing Ya, who had been waiting right outside, seemed to have expected a similar outcome.
"Did she show you the memories?" She said in a cold voice.
"Oh yeah, she did. I must say, sister-in-law, you looked very cute as a child."
Qing Ya had taken her goggles off at some point during the wait. Han Xuhan saw a flash of anger crossing her gaze at his words.
"But your martial brother sure wasn't swayed by cuteness. He still went through with his ambitious plan, didn't he?"
"Hey, maybe he just wanted to be a better husband, a more powerful protection provider for you," Xuhan stoked the fire with unsuppressed glee in his tone.
"...." Qing Ya seemed to notice that. Eyes narrowing, she couldn't help but say, "Why do you look so happy about this whole thing?"
Han Xuhan tucked his chin up and laughed superciliously.
"Sister-in-law, let me offer you a piece of advice. Where lovers quarrel, there's always room for profit!"
Leaving a flabbergasted Qing Ya behind, Han Xuhan staggered his way through the central hallway of the ship.
Outside on the deck, Lady Luo Yi was being served with trays of delicacies by one of the members of the invasion team. Seeing him returning, she quickly pulled the tray towards herself, clearly unwilling to share.
"They have better food inside," Han Xuhan told her out of spite. "I ate something so stimulating in the Captain's cabin that my head's still spinning. Too powerful!"
Casting a disdainful look at her tray, he crashed on his seat and waited for the arrival of the messenger who had left for Abyss Guild's island.
They didn't have to wait very long. Soon, a disciple popped out from a corner of the island below and flew straight up toward the boat using the same technique Qing Ya had displayed an hour ago.
"I'm back! Guildmaster permitted it. I have the memory sequence stored in here."
He handed Qing Ya a box. Luo Yi and Han Xuhan watched curiously as the box was opened, revealing two vials full of yellow liquid inside.
"Converted information!" Luo Yi gasped audibly.
"...What?" Han Xuhan enquired.
"The memory sequence is nothing but a set of information to be transferred. And humans are capable of receiving information in countless ways. Powerful cultivators at Guildmaster's level can convert any set of information into their preferred state, mix them with other miscellaneous information to hide the content, and even use retrieval methods to recreate the same information from the mix. The yellow liquid in the vial is probably capable of creating hallucinations in the consumer's mind. The Guildmaster has mixed the information of the memory sequence inside the possible array of hallucinations this liquid can induce!"
"....What?" Han Xuhan repeated the same question even after hearing her explanation. Because it was too wild to accept.
His dumbfounded face earned him looks of disdain usually reserved for country bumpkins. But being too used to such looks, he asserted his view without hesitation.
"How can a hallucination show us something if our brain is incapable of forming the images? I have never seen or heard anything related to this tracing technique. You're telling me that snorting a hallucinogenic drink can make my brain create completely foreign scenarios just because someone added the memory sequence to the drink in the form of information?"
"Yes." Luo Yi replied, seemingly enjoying his struggle to come to terms with this revelation.
"Now come here. Enjoy the taste and receive our Guildmaster's creation!"
"Wait, wait, give me a second," Han Xuhan snatched his arm away from her loose grip.
"I'm still too inebriated due to the feast I had inside the Captain's cabin. I can't join you in drinking that to evaluate the legitimacy of the tracing technique. My head's still spinning."
"Wait, did you really eat something that good in there? I thought you were just being jealous-"
Luo Yi was cut off by the red skeleton that leaped out of Xuhan's back, landing on the deck cautiously.
"My minion can do this job just fine," Han Xuhan said, leaning back into his seat like a king.
"...."
Silence greeted his declaration. Everyone took some time to get used to the odd being standing in front of them. Luo Yi recovered before the rest, of course. She said,
"But how does a skeleton drink?"
